Chapter 59: She’s back!

Ivy’s pov

"... there was no other way to get her to calm down-"

"You should have tried a bit more!"

The first thing I was aware of was the softness. I was lying on a bed, but the sheets were so soft against my skin. A gentle hand stroked my hair in rhythmic, soothing strokes. Voices, low and deep, murmured around me. For a moment, I drifted in a hazy, comfortable fog.

Then it all came crashing back. The secret passage, the bloody man on the floor, Kai’s cold eyes, and the sharp prick on my neck.

The jerk knocked me out!

My body went rigid, but I kept my eyes squeezed shut, pretending to sleep while trying to figure out what on earth was going on. I wasn’t tied up, so that had to be a good thing, right?

"...just leave the secret passage in his closet open? What was he thinking?" Roman’s voice was a warm and concerned rumble right next to my ear. His hand never stopped stroking my hair.

"And what was I supposed to do, Ro? Let her run out of here screaming about a dead body?" Kai snapped.

"I knocked her out to calm her down. It was better than the alternative."

"The alternative is not assaulting our housekeeper," Roman shot back, his voice rising. "You can’t just tranq-dart people because you’re in a bad mood!"

"Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to consult the handbook on what to do when a terrified employee stumbles upon your secret torture room!" Kai retorted.

"Next time I’ll offer her a fucking cup of tea and a biscuit. I can’t believe you’re lecturing me on being impulsive; it’s your fault we have that bastard in that room in the first place."

"You shouldn’t have hurt Vivi!"

"She would have hurt herself, okay? You think I fucking enjoyed it? She was terrified and was a mess; I thought she was going to have a damned heart attack."

"Enough," a third, deeper voice cut through the twins’ bickering like a blade.

"We should be more focused on how we’re going to explain this to her when she wakes up."

"Might as well just tell her the truth," Kai grumbled. "The asshole shot me in the shoulder, so Ro went fucking Bruce Lee on his ass-"

"You can open your eyes now, Miss Harpley."

Gideon’s voice was so calm, yet it sent a jolt of pure terror through me. He knew. He knew I was awake. Was there anything this man didn’t know?

My eyes fluttered open. I sat up slowly, my head swimming, to find all three Knight brothers staring at me.

Roman was sitting right beside me on Kai’s bed. Kai was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest, his hazel eyes flickering with guilt as they scanned over me, while Gideon was seated in an armchair by the dresser, looking like some king holding court.

I scrambled back, pressing myself against the headboard, clutching the bed sheets to my chest like a shield.

"Hey," Roman called softly, reaching for my hand.

I flinched away from his touch, and a flicker of raw hurt streaked across his handsome face. It was so vivid it almost made me feel guilty.

"You okay?" Kai asked cheekily from his spot against the wall. I shot him a death glare before my eyes landed on Gideon.

A hot blush crept up my neck. It was the first time I’d seen him since the club, since the whip and the chair and the humiliating, thrilling things he had done to my body. What did it matter now, though? I was about to be flayed alive.

"Miss Harpley, I apologize on behalf of my brother for his... extreme actions."

Kai threw his hands up in exasperation. "Oh, for fuck’s sake! Why is everyone talking like they’re not fucking grateful I did? She could have ruined everything!"

Gideon ignored him, his sapphire eyes fixed on me. "And I apologize that you had to see what you saw. You can rest assured, the man you saw is alive."

"That’s not the point," I muttered, clearing my throat.

"Why are you holding him hostage? Why would you... why would you do that to him?"

"Vivi, it’s complicated-"

Gideon leaned forward slightly. "Do you believe in justice, Miss Harpley?"

"Yes, I do," I replied, holding my head up, feeling a little more courageous.

Justice was the major reason I had come here in the first place. Justice for my father, who had lived in terror of the Knights. Justice for myself, to finally get the things I had dreamed and hoped for ever since I was twelve. To make up for my sins.

"I don’t believe anyone should take the law into their own hands. It is cruel to even think about doing that to someone!"

A flash of something cold, hard, and dangerous lit up his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "That is admirable, Miss HARPLEY, but incredibly naïve."

"Excuse me?"

"This is the real world, and true justice has no place for goodness. To be good is to embrace and accept the evil, but true justice has to be carried out by all means necessary." He leaned forward, his eyes burning intensely into mine.

"I understand if this is... too much for you. If you would like to resign. You have my word that my brothers and I will not hurt you, as long as you remember the NDA you signed."

"So I’m just supposed to overlook that there’s a tortured, battered man you’re hiding in a secret room?"

Roman stiffened next to me and opened his mouth to say something, but Gideon rose from his chair, and the entire room seemed to shrink under his presence. He towered over the bed, over all of us.

"Yes," his voice dropped to a chilling whisper.

"Your call, Miss Harpley. I would hate to get rid of someone my brothers have grown quite... fond of. But I can live with it."

And just like that, he turned and walked out, leaving shivers running down my spine. Was this really the man who had run his hands over my body Saturday night, murmuring that he would call me ’Amber’?

What had I just gotten myself into? And what was the guarantee that when I was done spying, they wouldn’t find out my identity anyway? That I wouldn’t be the one in that room, bloodied and dying?

"You okay, little Ivy?"

"Don’t you worry, Vivi." Roman’s large hands covered my right hand, bringing my palm to his lips. "Everything’s going to be fine, trust me. G’s not going to hurt you."

"I just... I need to go."

"I’ll drop you off," Roman insisted.

Just then, the door was pushed open again. Gideon walked back in, his hand pressed to his face, looking utterly exasperated.

"What happened?" Roman asked while Kai pushed off the wall. "What’s wrong now?"

Before either of them could answer, a loud, high-pitched voice shrieked from the hallway, a sound that made all three brothers pale in unison.

"Fuck! She’s back?!" Kai breathed.